Keystone Chronicles Book 1: The Seige of Light
by OMNISENSE95
Summary: With a Crystal Keyblade restored, and Knuckles, Sonic, and Silver transformed severly, the battle is brought to Disney Caslte, where the villiains hope to obtain the first Gateway progressor; the Cornerstone of Light! Rated for swearing and violence.
1. The Revived Key to Evil

**Behold, an epic tale of the grandest kind. This is a Sonic the Hedgehog-Kingdom Hearts crossover, and as such, expect a lot of dark references in here. The story will progress with each chapter being told from the POV of a different character. This first chapter will be told from the POV of our main antagonist, my incarnation of Ashura the Hedgehog. It might be a little difficult to follow the guy's plans, but is purely to avoid spoilers. I do not own either series, and I do not own anyone except this version of Ashura, Aaron, Clockspine, and Virxels. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**A Revived Key to Evil**

I watched the sleeping guardian with an air of joy at his unspecting demeanor. I chuckled at him, my opportunity close at hand. The good doctor was waiting in position, still irritated that I refused to tell him the whole plan. Before I go any further, I think some decent introductions are in order.

My name is Ashura. I'm a green hedgehog with black markings at the face and quills. I wore the simple glove and shoe combo most mobians wore, with the shoes being simple tennis shoes with a design similar to what Silver wore in extreme gear races. My black eyes rested on the napping echidna, and I grinned maliciously. I stepped out of my hiding spot, and the guy immediately jerked awake. I guess he couldn't perform his duty half as well as he did if he was a heavy sleeper.

"Who are you? And what business do you have here?" Knuckles asked.

"Call me Ashura," I began. "I have some special needs for that giant Emerald you're protecting."

He tensed up at my words. I signaled Ivo, and he leapt into action. Although the red echidna was easily able to overpower his little projects, he had no idea of what would happen next.

With each of Ivo's creations down, he turned to me, and saw that I was already halfway up the stairs of the alter. He instinctively ran after me, but a black monster materialized from the shadows in front of him, and the dark guardian grabbed the startled echidna, holding him in place. I did not even see this, and I knew who was responsible for the save.

"You certainly took your precocious time getting here, Xeanhort." A white haired man with dark skin and gleaming yellow eyes stepped out of the shadows of the forest, grinning evilly at his guardian's hostage. He still had the body of that foolish Keyblade wielder, and the youthful appearance failed to hid the wise essence of the man within. What was that boy's name again? Terrot? Trippinron? Taxiderm? Ah, whatever. It's not important. (A/N: Just so you know, Ashura really is not bothering with remembering Terra's name.)

Knuckles attempted to run over to cave in my skull, but Xeanhort's guardian held fast with a grip of iron. So he tried the verbal assault. "I don't care how many comrades you have, Ashura! Once Sonic and the others get here, they will not let you acquire the Master Emerald's Power!"

"Weren't you listening to me earlier?" I asked the red guardian. This confused him immensely, so I continued on. "What I want is the Emerald itself. The less of the power is in there, the better." I finally reached the peak of the alter, and I grinned maliciously at the giant green Emerald slowly rotating in its slot. I used the incantation I read and dispelled the Emerald's energy from it in the form of green fog.

I then swung my heel around, and shattered the Emerald.

Everything was a blur after that. Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Rouge, Tails, Amy, Aaron, and the Chaotix arrived by Chaos Control, but Xeanhort halted them before they could interfere. The green fog fled behind me and pierced Knuckles' body, forcing the guardian to drop him. The shards of the shattered Emerald rose from the ground, and circled one another in an elegant dance. I heard Knuckles scream in pain, but I was focused on the shards above me. I no time, they merged to form a large sword fashioned in the shape of a key. The teeth were formed to resemble a heart containing a crescent moon. The token on the keychain was just a blank circle. The entire thing was made of white crystal.

"Yes! Yes, perfect!" I yelled in triumph. "It's just as the Master's Report prophesized! The Crystal Keyblade has been restored!" I reached out grabbed the keyblade in my hand. It felt a little heavy, but some training from Xeanhort will easily fix that problem. "Now, all I need are those 13 keystones, and then Kingdom Hearts shall be mine!"

I heard the echidna moan, and everyone present directed their attention to him. I almost laughed at what I saw. His entire body had become crystalline, and I felt a strong energy one would feel from the Master Emerald.

"It appears that the reaction of the weapon's revival has made itself known."

Knuckles could only stare at his hand in shock. I could not help but wonder what is was that hooked his attention; his hand or his reflection in it. I laughed at my accidental joke, much to that bat girl's expense.

"What the hell did you do to him!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. I answered as my hearing was restored.

"I didn't do anything, my sexy creature of the night." She seemed insulted by my little nickname for her, but there was not much she could do with Xeanhort's keyblade up against her throat. Her's and all of her ally's.

"It would seem that when I destroyed the Master Emerald to create this marvelous weapon, the power stored within needed to find a new vessel, to shield it from those who would misuse it. And who would be better for the task, then the vary person who had been guarding the old container for most of his life?" Ivo seemed to understand my explanation, but the anthros obviously needed it to be said in simpler terms.

"I guess, what really happened is that Knuckles became the Master Emerald in the crystal's place."

"I'm… the Master Emerald?" the crystal echidna asked fearfully. His voice sounded pretty much the same as ever, but I noted that there was a reverberated quality to it now.

I nodded at him. It was really hilarious how solidified minerals could look so nervous. I signaled for Xeanhort to allow the other heroes near. There was nothing they could do now. Rouge immediately ran over to the guardian, hoping to offer some console to pull him through this phase of his life. The cobalt hedgehog looked from his crystal friend, then to me, his eyes burning with rage.

"Tell me, how is that oversized key going to get you closer to whatever your goals are? And what is this "Kingdom Hearts"?" he asked.

I chuckled at him. "Here." I tossed a leather bound book over to him, and he caught it easily. "This is a journal kept by the very first Keyblade Master. I call it the Master's Report." Shadow and Tails walked over by now, with the others listening form the sidelines. Sonic opened the book to the first page, and began skimming through it, learning the details of my plot as I outlined them out loud.

"This master had fashioned a keyblade of pure crystal. The same one I hold in my hand. The components of this weapon were infused with the elemental properties of fire, water, earth, wind, ice, lightning, time, space, light, darkness, life, death, and heart. The master soon discovered that with the power these elements granted it was possible for him to summon Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds, the heart of existence itself. It is an almighty entity, from which all hearts, from which all life originates. Yes, even yours. However, he feared that the power would fall into the wrong hands, and to prevent this from happening, he separated the elemental properties from the blade, and sealed each one in one of 13 keystones, while he changed the keyblade itself into the oversized gem you recognize as the Master Emerald. By entrusting it to Knuckles' ancestors, he thought that all worlds would be safe from severe tyranny. Of course, that was eons before dear Master Xeanhort was even born."

At this, everyone turned their attention to the keyblade Master standing behind them. He walked over to me, and I continued to explain the reason for my plans.

"Three times you have reached out for the immense power that is Kingdom Hearts, correct?" I asked the master rhetorically. "And three times someone was there to foil you're plans. The three apprentices of your dear deceased friend, Eraqus, and that wretched boy, Sora." He fumed at the mention of that last name, and I had to duck to avoid a swing of his keyblade.

"Do not mention that name!" He practically yelled.

"Of course, it would be a shame to remind of the newest possessors of the Mark of Mastery." I looked at Xeanhort maliciously, hoping that this little conversation would reveal his ulterior motives to me. I didn't completely trust him, after all.

"That boy has been a pain in your rear ever since you created that heart of pure light in order to carry out your first attempt at obtaining Kingdom Hearts. Now, that heart resides in Sora, allowing him to acquire the most powerful weapon of all; the physical manifestation of a powerful heart. No one performed the Inheritence Ceremony for him, so there is no way he should have it. But he does. And now, his own heart has become powerful enough to be called a Keyblade Master."

I took a moment to savor the look of rage on Xeanhort's face. "That boy is more trouble than he is worth. Especially since, from the correct point of view, you brought it upon yourself. By granting Ven a heart of pure light, you place a great duty on a talented youth. Talented enough to eliminate both your Heartless AND your Nobody. But see, that is what has allowed the real you to be standing here now, right? He defeated Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, first, so that when he finished off Xemnas, heart, body, and soul could reunite and restore the true person behind those two entities. Now, you want revenge, don't you?"

I saw the unmistakable glint of hatred in his eyes, and knew I had him where I wanted him. "I can help you get it. As long as I hold this Crystal Keyblade, we have the key to ultimate power. Once it reabsorbs the power of those thirteen keystones, we shall receive our goals. However…" I directed my attention back to the pack of animals we had with us. "… none of you will life to see that day come." I held the crystal up and pointed it at the anthro heroes. "So tell me, who wants to die first?"

Predictably, Sonic got right up, and prepared to charge at me. "No one is going to die, Ashura. I am going to stop you, and destroy that freaking rock!" He screamed. Before he could even take one step, I called darkness to bind him. I looked down at the dark tendrils slowly crawling up his body, and turned to me, anger still present in his eyes.

"You honestly think you stand a chance against me?" I asked him tauntingly. "Sink into the Darkness!"

The shadowy tentacles began to climb his body faster, and the rage in his eyes was replaced by fear. Then by determination. Amy made an attempt to run forward and save the love her life, but Xeanhort's guardian cut her off. I was personally amazed with that thing. How did he learn to use it? Keeping my focus on the blue hedgehog's growing cocoon of shadows, I started the command for it to crush him. However, just when it looked like the boy would die, a strong light burst forth from the shell, slowly but surely destroying it.

I was a fool. Sonic's heart was too strong to succumb to the darkness, and he was able to survive by the sheer power of his light. While his heart is not one of pure light, the light that was there shone almost as brightly as those of the Princesses of Heart. I should have expected him to overcome a feeble attempt at his death.

The shell soon faded away completely, but the figure that immediately fell to his knees on the ground seemed somehow different. And it would seem that things still manage to fall in my favor. As a repercussion of escaping death, Sonic's body underwent extreme changes.

All of his fur had been replaced with spiky, shoulder length blue hair. His ears had shifted shape, and moved to the sides of his head, while his eyes shrank to a reasonable size, while his nose changed as well. The gloves he wore were now fingerless with an Emerald mark on the back. He looked a lot taller, with longer limbs and a slightly smaller head. The shoes he had were the same, but he was wearing black cargo pants, a short sleeved blue shirt with his symbol on it, and an unzipped white jacket, complete with a hood, and a brooch of the 7 Chaos Emeralds in a circle over where his heart would be.

Sonic the Hedgehog had become Sonic the Human.

The boy slowly noticed the changes that had occurred with him, and inspecting his clothes, hair, and the brooch he had on, inspected his reflection in Knuckles' chest (which I still found funny).

"That's a good look for you, Sonic," I taunted. "Really complements your stubborn attitude."

Sonic simply stared down at his human body, and had reached the same conclusion as me.

"My abilities…" the traumatized hedgehog-turned-human began. At least his voice was still the same. "…Their…"

"…gone." I finished. "Without that hedgehog spikiness, there is no way you would be able to fight the way you're used to. You're completely defenseless against me."

"The rest of us aren't!" The albino screamed. He ran at me, grabbed a nearby tree branch with his mind, and swung at me. However, I easily dodged the attack. I swiped the Crystal Keyblade at the hedgehog, but Silver was easily able to duck below it. I then kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the bottom of the alter.

I swiftly walked down to him, grabbed him by that thick mane of his, and lifted him up to my eye level. (A/N: Incase your wonder, Ashura is the same height as Silver, so he basically pulled the guy into a standing position.)

I brought the Crystal Keyblade up to make it look like I was going to stab him in the chest with it. However, I had something a little different in mind for the albino.

I will say this for now; the reason Blaze the Cat is going to hate me for what I am about to do, and the reason why Heart of PureSilver is going to hate me for this are two entirely different things.

As it looked like I was ready to stab, I swung the weapon down to the side of my body, pulled Silver in close, and kissed him. Everyone present stared at me like I had lost my mind. Silver was to surprised to react, but he never got the chance to anyway. The minute my lips touched his, darkness was forced into him, and the transformation began. I broke contact, but did not bother to watch the guy become a Heartless. I immediately pulled out a toothbrush, and began frantically trying to get the hedgehog's taste out of my mouth.

"I know I'm not going to do anything good in the future, but if you can hear this OMNISENSE95, do me a favor and NEVER make me do that again, PLEASE!" I prayed aloud, before I resumed getting my mouth cleaned.

As I finished, I looked at my handiwork. The beast was not even recognizable as Silver the Hedgehog. His skin was black, with regal robes draped around his body. The Heartless insignia was visible across his chest. His hands and feet were clawed, and beastly. The characteristic yellow eyes glowed with a malicious grin. All quills moved to the front for his head, multiplied greatly, and positioned to resemble the face of a clock, complete with a minute and hour hand.

I dub thee Clockspine.

As I marveled at my handiwork, I realized just how monstrous this Heartless was. That is a sign the Silver's Heart was a strong one. So… Shouldn't a Nobody have been born as well?

As if on cue, the cyan Chaos Emerald emerged in the center of the alter, and Silver's body and soul gathered around it. The Emerald seemed to volunteer itself to act as the shell's heart, but this seemed silly. A husk is a husk. The generation of Silver's Nobody was soon complete, and everyone looked over the slightly grey hedgehog that materialized.

It was a sad sight to behold. The five quills on his forehead were longer and dropped down behind his head. The yellow eyes that once brimmed with youth were now filled with misery and despair. His mane appeared ragged, as if he had not tended to it in 200 years. The Nobody crest was visible on his chest like a tattoo, and his boots and gloves looked tattered and worn. His whole appearance seemed to emphasize the fact that he no longer has a heart.

Immediately after this new hedgehog finished examining himself, bright blue letters spelling out his former name appeared before him. They then began orbiting him, all at uneven speeds. He eventually reached his hand out to the circle, but when he made contact, a golden "X" appeared where his hand landed, and all the letters stopped their orbits and changed to a golden color. A single word was spelled out form the mess.

**V-I-R-X-E-L-S**

"Virxels," the nobody hedgehog read aloud his new name. His voice sounded a little deeper then what it once was. (A/N: By the way, it is pronounced "Verk-cells")

"Right. The new you." I commented as the name faded away. Virxels glared at me and Clockspine for what felt like hours, before running to Sonic's side. "You have made a lot of enemies on this day, Ashura." He growled. "None of which I will have to deal with in the future," I stated, getting ready to obliterate all of them. However, before I could, the remaining six Chaos Emeralds suddenly appeared before me, and sped towards their users. I watched as they merged themselves into the bodies of Tails, Shadow, Aaron, Amy, Vector, and Rouge. Knuckles suddenly began to glow with a brilliant radiance, and the places over the six mentioned antro's hearts glowed with a light that matched the color of the emerald that merged into them; yellow for Tails, cyan for Virxels, green for Shadow, blue for Aaron, red for Amy, purple for Rouge, and white for Vector. All of the light seemed to meld together, and at once Chaos Control seemed to activate, and all of these heroes vanished. And they still had the Master's Report.

I didn't really matter. I made several copies of it, so there was really no need to worry. Ivo and Xeanhort gathered nearby as I pulled out one of these copies. I opened to a certain page in the journal, and allowed my eyes to rest on the name of the latest person who has been given the duty of protecting the first of the 13 keystones;

"King Michael Mouse"

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><p><strong>Oh boy, looks like trouble will be approaching Disney Castle. And a free spoiler goes to the one who can correctly guess why the King's name appeared in that context. Now, Review or suffer the consequences.<strong>


	2. Prepare for War!

**Welcome back, dear readers. I see that you all see a lot more potential in this story then both Wind of Time and Heterochromia. And I am really sorry to all of you who want to rip me limb from limb for turning Silver into a Heartless, it is part of the deeper story. This next chapter will be told from Sonic's POV. Oh, and one more thing. Note that the title of the fic includes the term "Book 1". That means that this is going to be a series.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Prepare for War!**

I was slowly coming to after Ashura's attack on Angel Island. I remembered the Chaos Control that dragged all of us to safety. I opened my eyes to a burning sun, and as they adjusted, I sat up and looked around at where I was.

From what I could see, it looked like some bustling town, with a lot of colorful housings and shops littering the small space. I could see a majestic castle in the distance, its white walls and bent towers looking beautiful against the cloudy sky. I wondered if any of the others were nearby. As I remembered the events of the attack, I took another gander at my new body.

The black cargo pants fit loosely on my body, and the jacket looked like it was made from fine fabric. At least my shoes were still the same. However, I was depressed. I couldn't fight the way I'm used to. I needed to learn human self-defense. Well, it shouldn't be too hard. If Shadow can utilize martial arts then I should be able to as well. Hey, there is really no point in just sitting around here brooding in my sorrows. I should just take a look around the place and see if I could find anyone.

I slowly got up, still a little put off by my new height, and ran off in a random direction. I sighed in relief as I noticed that I still had my speed with me. In fact, it felt like I was going a little faster than normal. Must be my longer legs. After running a few laps around the place, I slowed down to a walk, decideing it would serve me better to know my surroundings better. As I walked through the town, I noted that several of the residents seemed to be anthropomorphic animals like my and friends and… well, forget I was going to say anything. The main difference was that the people here wore clothes.

I forgot to look where I was going and bumped into someone. "Sorry, I wasn't looking at the road," I apologized.

"A hyuck, it's alright feller." The stranger responded. I looked at him, and studied him a little. He was an anthropomorphic dog, a little taller than me (A/N: just a reminder, Sonic is human now, so he would be a lot taller than normal. Here he is about the same height as Sora.), wearing this orange and blue suit, with pieces of armor that did not completely cover his body. He looked friendly enough, so I decided I could trust him. He looked me over a little himself, and then continued the conversation.

"Gawrsh, you don't look familiar. You must be from another world." I stared at him with a perplexed expression. Ashura mentioned other worlds as well. The emeralds brought me here for a reason. I assumed the others were here as well. For now, it probably was not a big concern. "I guess," I responded. I remembered that name Ashura kept throwing at that Xeanhort guy (A/N: someone please tell me if I'm spelling his name wrong), and had to ask him. "Say, do you know a guy named Sora?"

The name released some joyful energy that was sealed in there, and practically grabbed my shoulders.

"SORA!" he nearly screamed. "You met him?"

I shook my head, and he seemed to deflate a little. I then told him everything that happened at Angel Island, including the conversation between Ashura and Xeanhort. The dog seemed disturbed at the mention of the latter, but I didn't say anything. I'm sure he would explain when the time came.

"Uh, would you mind if I took a look at this journal?" the dog requested. I pulled the Master's Report from my pocket, and handed to him. He examined it as if it might explode. "We should probably show this to the king. He'll need to know about this." He began to walk away, but then seemed to remember something. "Oh, I forgot to interduce myself. I'm Goofy, captain of the guard."

"I'm Sonic!"

"Well, it is a pleasure to…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of static filled the air. After several minutes, it looked as if it stabilized, and I could somehow here Ashura's voice in the back of my head.

"Attention, residents of Disney Town. My name is Ashura, and I will soon be looked upon as ruler of the cosmos!" I looked at Goofy, and it looked as if he had heard it as well. I'm guessing everyone here heard it. That scum is telepathically communicating with every living being in this world.

"I am here to inform you that your king is holding something vital to my plans. However, I can just tell that he won't just hand it over to me. So, I weakened the protective magic around the town, and soon, it shall be overrun with my Heartless army!" I heard Goofy gulp at the mention of the word "Heartless", and I suddenly remembered Clockspine. I shuddered at that image, I could not believe he made that monster from Silver.

"The castle is still well protected, so it would be wise of you to gather your belongings, family, and essentials, and flee there post haste. You have 3 hours to get there, and then the siege shall begin. Ashura out." The conection ended, and I could hear the residents scrambling to take as much as they could and run to the castle. I watched a crowd run past us, most of them with fearful looks on their faces.

"Sonic!"

I turned around to see Tails, Virxels, and Aaron running up to me. I was relieved to see them. "Guys, we have to get to the castle."

"Follow me, fellers!" We wasted no time in following Goofy's lead. I could see Rouge and Charmy flying overhead, following the crowd towards their destination. Vector and Knuckles were visible ahead of us, and as I looked to the side, I saw Shadow and Espio leaping across the rooftops, and heard Amy's panicked footsteps fall in next to Vector. It seems that the dream team is back together. In almost no time at all, we reached the grand castle. I ran in past the gates, but stopped when I saw a duck in sorcerous clothing halt Virxels.

"You can't come in here!" he bellowed at the grey hedgehog.

"Why not?"

"He's our friend!" I heard Tails yell back at the tempered mage.

"He's a Nobody!"

"Now that is just plain rude!" Amy screeched.

"With a capital N! We can't let people like him into the castle he could endanger us all!"

"Virxels would never do anything like that!" I argued.

The duck glared at us and threw a book at us. He opened it to a page defining the Heartless and Nobodies, and why they would be considered a threat. I glanced at the incomplete albino, but I still saw him as the psychic that would always do what he truly thought was right. He would never harm anyone you didn't deserve it.

Besides, he's more Silver then that monster could ever hope to be.

"We don't care what he is! He was our friend before he lost his heart and he still is! I will give my life for him if I have to!" I saw a tear reach Virxels' eyes, and wondered where that came from.

"Donald…" I heard Goofy coax the duck. The mage called Donald thought it over for several minutes while the people of the town ran wild around him. Finally he made his decision.

"Fine. He can enter. But the minute he starts acting up, we will eliminate him."

"Then we will do whatever it takes to protect the guy."

Virxels walked into the courtyard, and all of us fell in with the townsfolk. We were together again, and although three of us had a lot taken from us, we still had each other. The bonds between friends shall never die. We watched the drawbridge rise as the last of the townsfolk entered the courtyard. Goofy, Donald, my friends and I climbed onto the ramparts along with this mouse in regal-looking clothes. This must be the king.

I looked out to the town, and watched in cold sweat as it was practically flooded in these black creatures with glowing yellow eyes, that reminded me dangerously of Clockspine. So these are the Heartless. As I watched the monsters devour the town, I noticed Ashura materialize in front of us, just in front of the castle's moat.

"My dear King Mickey, does it pain you to watch the town you have watched over for years fall to the darkness?" he asked evilly.

The king glared at Ashura for what felt like centuries before he finally responded. "As long as the villagers are safe within these castle walls, the town will never fall to darkness! Nothing you do will change that!"

Ashura unsheathed that Crystal Keyblade from a scabbard he wore at his waist, and pointed it at the king. I noticed the look of startled fear on his face, as well as on Donald's and Goofy's.

"I see you all can recognize its power." He taunted them. "So you must be wondering what it is that I want." He glared at his majesty for a long time before stating his goal.

"My target, is nothing less than the Cornerstone of Light!"

At the mention of this "Cornerstone of Light", there was an uproar from everyone in the castle, safe for me and the other foreigners. Goofy fainted, Donald began screaming his head off, and the king stared at Ashura like he had suddenly grown a second head. All of the townsfolk simply panicked. Ashura smiled at the chaos the knowledge of his goals has caused.

"And so it begins," he laughed as he vanished from sight.

"I can't believe this…" the startled king began. "What could he possibly want with the Cornerstone?" I handed him Master's Report, and he read the book with a look of increasing horror on his face. I explained everything that happened to me and my friends up until that point, and he looked at us sympathetically. I gave introductions, and the King allowed us to stay there and help them during the siege. They would need all the help they can get.

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><p>Later that day, I found Knuckles sitting alone on a high rampart, staring pityingly at the shadow-filled down, his crystalline body glittering in the setting sun. I took a seat next to him, and he only looked at me sorrowfully.<p>

"Penny for your thoughts?" I tried to make conversation.

"Sonic… how can this have happened?" the red echidna muttered. I stared at him with concern covering my face. "What do you…?"

"Sonic, look at me. Look at yourself! What did we do to deserve this!" "Knuckles, our appearance does not matter. Have you learned nothing from Aaron's experiences?"

Knuckles looked away from me, and glared at the sun vanishing below the horizon.

"Sonic… I'm sorry. It's just… I spent my entire life guarding the Master Emerald from anyone that do it harm or misuse its power. I never knew the whole story behind it, and I thought that I never would. But now, I know that this original master had trusted my ancestors to protect the gem, for more than just its power. The fate of all existence rested on my races' shoulders. Now, Ashura has the key to ultimate power… and this…" he held up his crystal hand, and watched it glow in the receding light. "… this is my punishment for my ignorance. I should never have let Eggman distract me."

"Hey, at least your job will be a lot easier now." I chuckled at this poor joke, but Knuckles just glared threateningly at me. "Knuckles, you have a great power within you now. Maybe even greater than the Master Emerald's power." His look softened, and I continued on. "The Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald all require a single key to unleash their power; the heart. Now, the greatest of these powers is positioned alongside an equally strong heart. The power of your Heart, along with the power of the Master Emerald, is probably enough to give even Shadow a run for his money." I briefly admired the soft glow of the sun off of Knuckles new crystal body, and saw his eyes warm with a familiar fire.

"Everyone has the greatest power known to man at their disposal, but we are among the few who know how to use it." I said this, and Knuckles quickly got up and walked over to me. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I looked over at him, grinning at his old power returning to him.

"You're right, Sonic. Even you still have the power to fight."

He left me there, and I looked at the setting sun, knowing that we will be able to help everyone here get through this difficult phase of their lives. I also knew that it was only a matter before he arrives… that boy Ashura talked so much about…

The hero of the unified skies…

Sora…

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><p><strong>Well, what do you think? I came up with the idea of Sora being called the "Hero of the Unified Skies" as a joke with the meaning of his name. ("Sora" is the japenese word for "Sky") Anyway, review, or die.<strong>


	3. Nonexistant Lament

**Welcome back my dear readers. And thanks to the Espada Sisters for the correct way to spell Xehanort's name. This chapter will be told from Virxels' POV, and will include a new addition to the cast of Disney Characters. Or a rather old addition, if you know what I mean.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Nonexistent Lament**

I looked out over the shadow flooded town that was once a beautiful paradise of olden life. Ashura started all of this. And somewhere in that sea… HE is waiting.

The half of Silver he would have been better off without.

Clockspine… You will pay for any crimes you pull during this, I promise you. I will not let you or your master get your way, the same way none of them would let Xehanort's Nobody would let him get Kingdom Hearts.

The great friends that existed in Organization XIII. Axel… Roxas… and… um… uh… what was her name again? X… Xi… Xion, I think? Well, whatever her name was, she had a hand in Xemnas's downfall, even if it was ridiculously indirect.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by the arrival of the castle's lone ranger, a rabbit with long black ears, and a face that reminded me of the King's, with a simple cloak billowing around him. It has been five days since we arrived here, and we had grown to know the residents fairly well. Like this guy here; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Lone ranger of Disney Castle, and King Mickey's closest friend, and practical brother. He walked to my side as I continued to glare at the shadows flooding the town.

"Their plotting, I just know it," I said aloud. The rabbit looked out over the village, raising an eyebrow at the Heartless present. "I really can't help but agree with you." He glanced at me before continuing.

"Tell me Virxels, why is Clockspine such a big deal to you?" I refused to make eye contact with him, but still answered truthfully.

"Clockspine is the heart I once had, corrupted by that dark kiss." I shuddered at the memory of it. "Now, it is a monster that seeks only to hunt and kill. That monster is the half of Silver that he should never exist. Anything Clockspine does is essentially my old self's fault. I can't let that monster roam free, torturing these good people. If I have to destroy my own heart, then so be it." My glare on the sea of Heartless intensified. "It will be worth wiping that vile beast off the face of existence." (A/N: know do you see why I turned Silver into a Heartless?)

Oswald seemed a little put off by my fierce determination on the matter, but remained silent. I decided I should probably familiarize myself with the castle, and went for a walk around the place. Okay, I know what you're thinking; "You've been staying in that castle for five days and you still don't know that place very well?" Well, I have really been helping the castle guard prepare for any battle that could break out.

The positions of the others were flowing back into my mind. Amy was currently helping the queen organize the villagers into suitable quarters. Shadow, Rouge, and the Chaotix were helping the castle guard set up defensive positions around the castle. Sonic was having a good run around the courtyard, still getting used to his taller body. Tails, Aaron, and Knuckles were currently looking through the library, trying to learn everything they can about the Heartless, the Keyblade, and this group of women referred to as the "Princesses of Heart". They sound like some kind of eco-group.

I had no clue where exactly the king was, but Donald had just returned from a trip to this place called "Radiant Garden", sadly without aid. What exactly he went there for, I have no idea. I past this gigantic purple doorway, and heard a strange sound coming from inside, like something being locked. And really loudly at that. A small section of the door opened, and the king stepped out, holding this sword that looked like an oversized key, with the body curved a several points, and shooting stars forming the hand guards of the blade. (A/N: he still has the Star Seeker Keyblade, for those of you who do not recognize the description)

I watched the weapon vanish from his hand, and he finally noticed that I was present.

"Oh, hey Virxels." The king greeted.

"Good morning, your majesty. Say, what was that sound I heard earlier?"

"Oh, gosh, since Ashura was able to eliminate the barrier around the town, it may only be a matter of time before the magic around the castle fails as well. I should probably have done this a lot sooner, but I took the precaution of sealing the castle's Keyhole. Now, the burning brightness of this pure, pretty palace shall still shine strong." (A/N: try saying that five times fast.)

"Keyhole?" I asked him.

"The gateway to the heart of this world. With that sealed, the Heartless will be unable to bring this world to darkness." The king explained.

I had to agree with his earlier statement; he really should have done this as soon as the siege started.

"Say, there's something I need to show you." I followed him into the huge doorway, and discovered it led into this gigantic hallway with the king's throne at the far end. After we walked the distance between the two points, the King pressed this switch under the arm of the throne, and it slid to the side to reveal a stairway leading down into the floor. Slightly startled at the hidden room, I followed the king down the steps.

At the bottom, there was a large room, in the center of which stood a gigantic spherical stone, placed atop an indented pedestal. Within the stone, a radiant light shone forth, with these discs of light gyrating around a central glow.

"This is the Cornerstone of Light." The king stated aloud. I could only stare in awe at the beautiful rock. "It's magic protects this world from those who embody the darkness too strongly. But I don't understand how Ashura was able to bypass it." He gazed hopefully into the stone, as if it would provide him with the needed answer. I joined in his gaze, and felt mesmerized by the peaceful light. Though, it's not like I should actually feel anything, seeing as how I don't have a heart. Then again, mesmerization does not really count as an emotion, does it?

Whatever the case, I had other things to deal with. I left the king to examining the Cornerstone, and slowly walked out of the hall. I continued exploring the place until I heard these strange noises echoing from the courtyard. I decided to check it out, and began to walk over to the place. Thankfully, I was near the castle's entrance hall, so I did not have far to walk. I found Sonic, Aaron, and Amy already there. I assumed they heard the same noise I heard, and walked over to their position. Donald and Goofy joined soon after, with the king viewing what would soon transpire from a balcony overlooking the courtyard.

The six of us stood in a tight circle, with our backs facing each other. I began hearing Ashura's cruel laughter echo around the courtyard, and then a small number of Heartless began appearing around the place. It was just as the king feared; Ashura had finally weakened the force field enough to allow Heartless within the grounds. The green scoundrel himself soon appeared within his army, near the back of the squadron.

"So, ready to honestly die this time?" he asked us. I glared at him as an answer "no". "No one is going to die, you demonic, green (insert some horrendously dirty name used only in Silver's time, and thus no one would understand, which is easily for the better)!" Ashura did not have to be from my time to understand what I had just called him. He only glared at the six of us before he set the Heartless on us. Between each of our abilities, and the fact that it was only feeble Shadows, we were able to avoid severe injury. The only one of us who was really struggling was Sonic, as he was unarmed, and still not used to fighting as a human. Well, minor loss on his end.

Now, the shadows were steadily flowing into the courtyard. I was starting to get a little tired, but I won't give up. No, I can't let it end like this. I will keep fighting! To the bitter end!

I pressed harder on the enemies before me, and everyone else held formation. We kept knocking away Heartless until fatigue finally caught up to us. Everyone dropped to their knees, and Ashuar chuckled at our imminent demise. However, before he could do anything, I noticed a strange mark appear on the ground in front of me, woven from what seemed like solid light. It shone incredibly brightly before a blurred figure dug a Keyblade into the center of the mark, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. When I could see clearly again, I saw that all of the Shadows were gone, obliterated by the intense light. Well, that's one way to clear a crowd, heh heh.

I looked at our savior, and only saw an (assumingly) male figure in multicolored armor, with oversized sections at the legs and feet. You would think he would be a little hot in that stuff. Ashura was clearly pissed off at the armored warrior, agitated that he even had the nerve to dismiss his weapon in his presence.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr… HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS?" he screamed like a kid throwing a tantrum. It was absolutely embarrassing to watch. "I will not stand for your interference you pest? Just who do you think you are?"

I heard the figure chuckle as he dismissed his armor.

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><p><strong>And we will end it there for now. The next chapter will start at this point and be told from the mysterious figure's POV. Whoever can correctly guess who the hell he is (as if none of you didn't know) wins a free spoiler. Now, review, or you will die.<strong>


	4. Hero's Welcome

**Time for the update to Keystone Chronicles. As stated earlier, this chapter will be told from the POV of the mysterious armored figure shown at the end of the previous chapter. Those of you who did not figure out who it was because of the armor, I must apologize. I thought it would fit with him being a Keyblade Master now. The stuff in Italics are interjections from his "Other persona", if you know what I mean.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Hero's welcome**

After arriving at Disney Castle and using the Trinity Limit to vanquish the few Heartless present, I stared down with the perpetrator. He glared at me angrily, like I would be a nuisance he could never shake off. He growled at me before he began screaming his head off.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS! I will not stand for your interference you pest! Just who do you think you are?"

I chuckled before dismissing my multicolored armor. (A/N: Cue Sora's theme music. If this does not tell you who the guy is you are not paying attention.) As the armor was sent away to whatever dimension the stuff is kept in, it revealed the clothes I wore on my journey to defeat Xemnas, tailored to accommodate for my inactive armor. Finally, as the helmet receded, my spiky brown hair billowed in the gentle breeze, my electric blue eyes piercing the green hedgehog's very being.

"I am Master Sora," I answered him, summoning my keyblade to my outstretched hand. "HERO OF THE UNIFIED SKIES!"

He seemed a little put off by my identification, but this slowly slid into a malicious grin.

"So, you're the brat that caused Xehanort so much trouble."

_So it's true then. This guy really is working with Xehanort, just as you guessed._

I had to agree with Roxas on this. The fact that he knew about me seemed to suggest that this was the accomplice Master Yen Sid warned me and Riku about. The green and black hedgehog stared at me evilly.

"You shall now me as Ashura the Hedgehog, soon-to-be ruler of the cosmos!" Wow, he really is full of himself, isn't he?

"I was planning on simply proceeding to storm the castle with a small army of Heartless… but now that you're here, I believe a change of plan is in order. I shall retreat for now, but mark my words, Sora, once I acquire Kingdom Hearts, you will be the first to suffer my wrath!"

With that, he teleported away from the scene, leaving the fighters I had saved, which included Donald and Goofy, to let his words sink in. The castle's court wizard and captain of the guard were quick to provide a returning hug to me, which I eagerly returned. After they introduced me to the others present and explained the situation, I had a hard time letting the news marinate. If Ashura got the Cornerstone…

_The castle would be defenseless against the forces of Darkness._

I could not let this happen.

"Your majesty, I request that I meet with everyone from a different world in the audience chamber. It would be a good idea to tally up their strengths and weaknesses."

"Agreed, Sora." The king answered. "I'll send the request immediately."

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><p>Less than an hour later, the king, Donald, Goofy and I were assembled in the audience chamber with each of the foreigners lined up in front of the throne. I examined each of them, noting the immense variety of their personalities and abilities.<p>

I stopped at the blue-haired boy from the courtyard. Sonic, right? I felt a strong spirit of light from this one. Willing to give his life to protect those he cared about. I saw a lot of myself in him, and could sense that he had the potential to wield the most powerful weapon of all; the Keyblade. In seven others, and the living crystal, I could feel that they each had a dormant power of heart, and when the time comes, that power will awaken to gift them with keyblades of their own. But this one has no way of obtaining that power without some aid.

Sonic noticed that my gaze was glued onto him, and he looked away sadly. "I know what you're going to say, Sora. I'm the weak link in this chain," he said sadly. I looked at him steadily.

"I can't fight the way I usually can in this form. There is no way I would be able to withstand a battle like this. I want to help anyway I can, but the way I am now, I can't even battle correctly."

I gazed at him with gentle eyes, and he settled a little. "You're wrong, Sonic," I told him. He stared at me with a confused, but grateful expression on his face.

"You're willing to do whatever is necessary to protect those you hold close to your heart. It is inevitable, that you give everything you have to keep them safe. The power in your heart is what drives you on, to shield those closest to you from evil. And here and now, I shall bestow upon you the ability to give that power form."

I held out my hand, and summoned my keyblade to me. I held it out to Sonic, a look on anxiety evident on his face.

_Are you sure?_

Positive.

"Grasp the key in your hand, and no evil shall stand in your way. You will always be able to push through the hardest situations, and succeed in protecting those you hold dear. All evil will fall before you, and the light in your heart shall pave the way for others to fight alongside you, knowing that as long as you lead them, nothing will harm you. Allow your heart to empower your entire being, and let your light shine its brightest, and those who have fallen to corrupted darkness will never get the better of you." (A/N: Okay, so the mantra was a little cheesy, but it was the best I could come up with.)

Still unsure of this, Sonic slowly reached out, and gripped the Kingdom Key in his right hand, as I released my grip on the weapon, letting my chosen successor hold the keyblade. It did not immediately return to my hand, of vanish from sight. It is done.

On cue, a small light emerged from the tip of the blade, and entered the boy's heart. All at once, the Kingdom Key return to my hand, and a new keyblade appeared to Sonic's hand in a flash of light.

Everyone, including Sonic, stared at the new keyblade in shock and awe. The blade consisted of a long, gold cylinder with a blue spiral traveling up it, with three blue quills acting as the teeth. A mark like a circular buzz saw was emblazed on the cross guard, and the hand-guards were formed by a pair of fox tails. The links of the keychain were small, golden rings, with the image on Sonic's brooch serving as the token of the chain; seven emeralds of different colors in a circle. I heard Sonic mutter the weapon's name under his breath; Winds of Freedom.

After marveling at his new weapon for some time, he swung it down to test the feel of it. I could see that he will need some time to get used to the weapon, but he'll obviously manage.

_It's time he began his training, don't you think?_

I agreed with Roxas, and requested to Sonic that his training begin.

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><p><strong>And I'll end it there for now. But you know what I am wondering right now? How many of you have actually known who the armored figure was before you read this. Now, submit your reviews, or you will die.<strong>


	5. The Master's Report

**Here we are, with the fifth chapter to the first installment of Keystone Chronicles. This chapter will be told from the POV of everyone's favorite OC, Aaron Skyhart. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**The Master's Report**

It has been a week since Master Sora arrived here. Ashura has not made any further moves during this time, but I didn't believe that this silence would last. I watched silently as Sonic continued his training. In the previous week, he had made notable progress in his abilities, so now he at least had an even chance against the Heartless. Clockspine might still prove challenging, however.

I noted that while Sora attacked so that the shaft hits the opponent, Sonic had fallen into the habit of using the teeth to battle. Whatever advantage either method had, I could not be sure. I allowed my mismatched eyes (which I no longer hid after the Behemoth Incident) scan Sonic's every move, finding something that would need improvement. Decideing that it was Master Sora's problem, I decided to go for a walk.

I headed over to the Library, remembering the Master's Report Ashura gave us, and, finding it, proceeded to read it more in depth.

From what I could gather, when the master split the crystal keyblade's powers, and scattered them across the worlds, he took numerous complex steps to make sure they would not end up in the wrong hands. Some more unorthodox than others.

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><p>For example, when he placed the Lightning Keystone in this one world inhabited by these creatures called Pokémon (AN: something foreshadowed this way comes…), he went as far as to create this "Keytus gene", as he called it, that would cause a human being carrying the gene to permanently turn into this new species of Pokémon called a Keytus.

To elaborate, Keytus, classified as the Apprentice Pokémon, in addition to its evolved forms, Keyroku the Guardian Pokémon, and Keyora the Master Pokémon, would be the only Pokémon capable of wielding keyblades. Keyora is clearly considered a pseudo-legendary among normal Pokémon, and the abilities the line has, in my opinion, seemed a little unfair to most trainers.

To name one of these, the line's signature attack, Pure Seven, will always be super effective against the target Pokémon, regardless of their type, receives the STAB, and will deal half the damage dealt to the receiver to the rest of the trainer's party! In addition, this line has the special ability called Treasured Heart, which would negate damage from any attack of a type the line is weak against, and send it back at the attacker, dealing twice the amount of damage that would have been dealt to the target. Further more, after the first evolution, the line changes from being purely fighting type, to duel fighting and flying type, which would make Treasured Heart even more of a nuisance.

As for the gene itself, it can only be carried by one human at a time. If the carrier dies without leaving any offspring, the gene will simply re-emerge in a different family. The first born child of the carrier will always be the one to receive the gene. Should someone seeking to misuse the power of these keystones reveal themselves to the worlds (the Kingdom Hearts created through these keystones is omnipresent, which means you can see it no matter what world you're in), the gene activates, and the carrier will slowly transform into a Keytus. The Pokémon held the closest to the carrier's heart will also undergo some kind of transformation, so that the two would be able to truly battle alongside one another. The earliest symptom of the transformation is a feeling of immense power gathering in the carrier's heart.

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><p>I began to realize exactly how paranoid the original master was. He was willing to go so far as to rob some random civilian of their humanity to protect the keystones? I would list more examples, but then there are some things that need to be leavt unrevealed until a later time. That's why the author did not describe the Keytus line's physical appearance.<p>

What really caught my attention was this one part regarding the order the powers needed to be reabsorbed in. While it was really flexible, the power of heart had to be regained last, or else the crystal keyblade would destroy itself. Ashura would obviously be aware of this, and I doubted he would be stupid enough to try. I found myself wondering if the Cornerstone of Light truly was one of these keystones. But… according to the king, the castle would be completely defenseless without the stone's power. I thought about what Ashura would do once he received a taste of the power the crystal keyblade could have. This angered me, and my eye colors took on that yin-yang pattern that always indicates my foul mood. Just like that, the effect my eyes have switches from beautiful to intimidating. Pulling myself together, I closed the report, and left the library.

I met Amy just outside the Library, and I gave her a gentle smile. Okay, I'll admit it. I've been dating Amy Rose for a while now. Since Sonic is human now, Amy has been unloading her affections towards me, and the fact that she doesn't act like some insane fan girl around me only encourages the relationship between us.

Just don't tell Sonic about us, okay? He doesn't know that I'm dating his #1 fan, and hopefully he will never need to. Actually, really no one is aware of our relationship. I informed her of what I learned from reading the Master's Report, and we agreed that the report's writer seriously needed some kind of sanity check.

After walking around the castle a little more, I heard some kind of explosion within the grounds. "Think Ashura is launching an attack?" Amy asked nervously.

"Only one way to find out. Ready?" I responded. Amy brought out her hammer as if to say "Ready as I'll ever be." With that, we dashed over to where the blast sounded from.

Sure enough, a small swarm of Minute Bomb Heartless was gathered near the courtyard. Sora and Sonic were already there, effortlessly cutting through the explosive enemies while Xehanort watched from the sidelines. I noticed Ashura was nowhere to be seen. Wonder where he is. Amy obviously had the same thought as me, and left the Heartless to the others, searching for Ashura.

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><p><strong>Don't you just hate cliffhangers? Take note of the mentioning of the Pokémon line. It will be a key plot point during that period. Also, if any of you want to write a AmyxAaron fanfic, you have my permission. Anyway, submit your reviews, if you want to see how this turns out.<strong>


	6. Ashura's Victory

**Welcome back to Keystone Chronicles. Here, we come full circle back to Ashura's POV, except for a small bit at the end, where the POV switches to that of a surprise character set to appear in the next installment. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Ashura's Victory**

This was too easy. Just place a few Minute Bombs in a courtyard, have Xehanort take watch over the battle, and Sora is temporarily out of my quills. There is still the matter of the good king, however. I am currently doing battle with him. I have to say, for a mouse, he is a worthy opponent. I skillfully dodged another slice from him, then countered with a blow of my own. With that, he was injured enough for me to proceed to the Hall of the Cornerstone. I destroyed the throne, and calmly walked down the stairway leading to the chamber, sealing the entrance behind me to make sure I did this uninterrupted.

The cornerstone stood before me, its magnificent glow lighting the entire room. Grinning maliciously, I levitated in front of it, and held the crystal keyblade front of me, pointing towards the cornerstone. It was right around then that Ms. Rose arrived, but she was too late. In an instant, the crystal shot a beam of light at the cornerstone, and began draining the power from it, specks flying from the point where the beam hit the cornerstone. As the power was drained, the light inside the cornerstone began to fade, until it was all gone, leaving a dark stone on that pedestal. The last of the power entered the keyblade, and the token at the end of the glowed, and suddenly bore the image that was visible inside the cornerstone of light.

It is done.

Amy glared at me threateningly. "I wouldn't get cocky if I were you, Ashura!" She shouted at me. "You may have gotten one keystone, but there are still twelve more out there, and I promise you, we will not let you achieve what it is you're after. Even if you get all the keystones, your evil heart shall ultimately bring about your destruction!"

I only laughed at her grim forecast. "What do you know, little girl?" I asked her. With that, I opened a dark corridor, and left the castle, gathering Ivo and Xehanort before moving on to the next world. I know most of you will be complaining, but hey, this is only the first installment, and therefore, purely the exposition of the overall story. I laughed evilly as I pointed the crystal keyblade skyward, and a ray of light shot out of it. Upon touching the sky, the light condensed, forming a tiny red moon, formed in the shape of a heart.

Cower before me, mortals!

Aha ha ha ha aha ahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha! !

(continues to laugh evilly for 12 and a half hours)

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><p>(AN: Here, we will switch to the POV of the surprise character I mentioned in the introductory notes. Ah, what the heck, it's Ash Ketchum from the Pokémon Anime.)

"Say, Pikachu, you heard that as well, right?" I asked the yellow rodent resting on my shoulder. He just stared at me questioningly, obviously asking "Heard what?" Maybe I imagined that maniacal laughter? Ah, well, it really isn't important.

It was the day after the Unova league. I had made all the way to the Finals, but ultimately lost to N. Well, I saved him from his father's cruel manipulation, it is only fitting that he become a Pokémon Master. He had then left to explore the world, learn more about the relationship between humans and Pokémon. Almost subconsciously, I grabbed a black Pokéball from my belt, remembering its white sibling resting with N. (A/N: cookies to the one who correctly guesses what Pokémon is in the Yang ball.)

I did not know when, but I knew N and I would meet again.

Turning my gaze to the sky, I noticed something off about the view. A small red dot was present there, and when my gaze landed on it, I felt this strange sense of… what's the word?... power swimming around in my heart. Shrugging it off as anxiety, I moved over to my bed, and joined Iris and Cilan in Dreamland.

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><p><strong>And that is the end of Book 1 of the Keystone Chronicles. Hey, it was merely the exposition people! OF course it would be short!<strong>


End file.
